Screen shot copyright question

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Gary

If I was to take screen shots from commercial PC games and use them in an iPhone app could I get done for copyright theft? My idea would not be ripping off the actual game concept of the original but just using the screenies in a quiz type format

Cheers
Gary

Ian Price

This is a tricky one, as copyright laws differ not only country to country, but state to state too.

There is a "Fair Use" clause in many countries statutes that would allow what you are asking, but it's still dodgy. If you can get the copyright owners permission, then problem solved, or you could put a disclaimer stating that you are using references under Fair use policy and that you will remove media if they can prove copyright ownership and don't want the image shown. This wouldn't necessarily stand up in a court of law, but it would be highly unlikely that copyright owners would pursue something that far - a C&D might be sent though.
I came. I saw. I played.

Gary

Cheers Ian, that was what I thought as well. I'm wont be implying my game is a copy of theirs but will probably mean I cant use any screenshots in the app screenshots as they could be taken as misleading.

My main concern is the company concerned is EA, still I guess I can throw it up and see if the idea works and if I get a C&D then pull the app and replace the pictures if its selling enough